Penguin Puppets for Children's Hospital!

 Finished up a nice stack of these feathered friends to include with my pillowcase donations heading to Children's Hospital soon. They have been tested and approved by my kiddos too! ;) Decided on a whim that I wanted to make Penguin Puppets, so traced my hand and went straight to work. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out and hope the Little Ones that receive them enjoy them very much!

Monday is December 1st, so if you have goodies you're sending to be delivered along with mine for our 4th Quarter Project, please be sure to get them in the mail by then! Thanks so much!!!

We are heading into the holiday weekend, and like I imagine many of you, lots of exciting family plans filling the calendar! 

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

A BIG Pillowcase Finish!!!

26 pillowcases finished for our 4th Quarter Project!!!!

 Puppets up next!

This is such FUN sewing!!!!

Join us and sew along for our special year end project!

Get all the details HERE!!!!

 

My 1st pillowcases finished for 4th Quarter Project

 The past week has been a bit of a blur around here.....just a busy spurt of life I suppose. :) Nonetheless, I'm finally sitting down to share with you my first stack of pillowcases finished for our projects. 

 These were made using the last of the fabric provided by Abbey Lane Quilts. I used a combination of a couple of free pillowcase tutorials on my Pillow Talk pin board and think they turned out just adorable! They were quick to make too. Each has a coordinating cuff and accent band.

Working on getting another stack cut up and ready to sew!

2014 - 4th Quarter Project Announcement.....Are You READY???

I can hardly believe I'm typing this, but this is the FINAL Hopeful Threads' project of 2014.

We've had a great year sewing and filling bags for children in foster care, also, collecting stuffed friends for them and sewing for families facing unplanned pregnancies, but we aren't finished yet!!! Our 4th Quarter Project is another very special sewing opportunity that I would LOVE to have your help with!

For the 4th Quarter Project, we will be sewing Pillowcases & Puppets to be delivered to our Children's Hospital. And this won't just be a normal delivery by me and my family. No, we have a very special lil' fella and his AWESOME family delivering the goodies for us this time!

That's right! We are privileged to have my little buddy Elijah James and his incredible big sister Sky delivering our goodies for us this time!!! This is truly one of the most AMAZING and CARING families I know! What a regular inspiration they are to my family and we are so grateful!

If you've not read about "Super Eli" here before, let me share a bit with you.

Eli is one of those people that defeats the odds. Like, blows them out of the water really.

He was born with the most severe form of Spina Bifida, called Rachischisis, and was given 0% chance for survival. His family had been preparing to say goodbye to him the same day they would meet him. God had different plans. Eli will be celebrating his 4th birthday this December. 

 This child is such an amazing delight!!!!

The contagious joy of this family is something you'll never forget. They overcome obstacles most of us can't even imagine, on a daily basis, and do so full of life and love. The picture above was taken just this week as Eli was in the hospital recovering from surgery. :) I hope you'll take the time to visit his facebook page and get to know them all better......I can guarantee that you'll be glad you did! 

Ok. To the project details. Being that December is a family focused month with lots of celebrations and travel for many, the 

4th Quarter Project will only be active for October and November. 

We will spend October and November sewing our Pillowcase & Puppet gifts, and I ask that they be shipped by December 1st to allow for me to get everything together and to Eli & Sky for them to deliver mid-month...in time for Christmas and in celebration of his 4th Birthday!

You can find a collection of pillowcase patterns & tutorials on my "Pillow Talk" pinterest board HERE.

You can find loads of inspiration, patterns and tutorials for puppets of all kinds on my "Handmade Soft Toys" board HERE.

Ok....to recap....

WHAT?: Sewing Pillowcases & Puppets

WHY?: Donations to Children's Hospital in honor of Elijah James

WHEN?: October & November 2014 (Please ship by December 1st)

Find sewing inspiration HERE, and add your donation pictures HERE.

SHIP TO: Kristy Smith

c/o Echelon Florist

1260 Rocky Hill Road

Knoxville, TN 37919 

So, grab the button, spread the word and let's make this a Project to remember!

As always, if you have any questions at all, feel free to EMAIL ME at anytime!

Thank you in advance for sewing with me for this very special year end project, I know it's going to be GREAT!

You can learn more about Spina Bifida at the Spina Bifida Association HERE.

And, if you are interested in showing your support by becoming a part of "Team Eli" you can follow his facebook page HERE and check out his gear HERE! 

A "Thank You" from Children's Hospital

In case you didn't see this on facebook, I wanted to share here too. :)

A special "Thank You" from Children's Hospital for all of the beautiful stockings and stuffers provided by Hopeful Threads! Thank you for being a part!

Ostomy Bag Cover Tutorial

I have another little friend that has had to wear an Ostomy Bag in the past. (yay!!! Not right now though as her's was recently reversed!) To make it a little more discreet and comfortable for her, she had a special cover to wear over it. Her mom asked if I could make her some more and so, I thought it would be another great tutorial to share with you!

These are SUPER SIMPLE to make and don't require much fabric at all! 

*Note that you may have to adjust any measurements based on the individual wearing it. It's such a simple sew that should be easy if you do though. My instructions also include steps finished with a serger....you can alternately hem these steps.

What you need:

Fat Quarter of fabric.

Elastic for waistband.

RST = Right Sides Together

  

RSO = Right Side Out

 

 Measure the elastic for the waistband and add to the pouch.

I used a plush fold-over elastic, left open, to provide a softer and wider elastic.

The elastic can be added in a couple of different ways. You can simply thread it through the casing and then stitch the cut ends together. The bag will slide along the elastic if done this way, and my little friend didn't like that. So, the alternate is to stitch the elastic at both ends of the casing.

Here's what it looks like on. (I didn't make this one.)

Using the measurements listed, you can make 3 of these bag covers from a single fat quarter!

My little friend just happened to like zebra print. ;)

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

Learn more about what an Ostomy is here. 

G-tube Button Pads Tutorial

I have a couple of little friends in my life that have a g-tube. Their moms asked if I could make the little wrap around pads that help absorb any moisture or leakage where they connect. I couldn't find a tutorial for any, so, I made one and wanted to share it here in case someone else might find it useful.

Supplies Needed:

Flannel - Cut to approximately 2 3/4 - 3" Circles (2 for each pad)

Terry Cloth or other absorbent fabric (cotton fleece, hemp, bamboo) - Cut to the same measurement as your flannel (1 for each pad)

Snaps or velcro for closure. I have used Size 20 KAM Snaps, because this is what I had available from other projects, but a Size 14 or 16 would work well also. I typically order my snaps in bulk online, but many stores like JoAnn have started carrying them in the area where they sell cloth diaper materials. 

I've sewn these in several sizes now, with the last ones I made for a little guy, so I cut 2 3/4" circles. 

2 circles of flannel, 1 of absorbent fabric. 

Lay your flannel circles right sides facing and place the absorbent circle on top. 

Cut a slit through all 3 layers, straight up the middle of the circle about 2". (This may vary based on the size you are making. You'll want to stop your cut about 1' from the top.)

Stitch the 3 layers together around the slit you just made.

 **BE SURE to snip the corners of your stitching here so the pad will lay flat when turned. 

Now, it's time to turn your pad right sides out. This can be a little fiddly, so just take your time with it and you'll have a nice smooth result. I also suggest carefully pinning as shown below. 

You're ready to top-stitch your layers together, starting along the center opening. 

 Then you will either serge or zig zag the outer edge all the way around.

I found that I liked my 3 step zig zag stitch best for this, even more than the serged ones. They seemed smoother, and more neatly finished. 

 Apply your closure and you're done!

I personally prefer using snaps on these since velcro can be scratchy and irritate this sensitive area if it gets flipped.

 

Before you know it you'll have a pile of these little pads and make some people very happy...What a treat that is! 

And this is a PERFECT way to use up fabric scraps! All of these were made from trimmings of other projects...bibs, lounge pants, pillowcases...that would never have been useful otherwise. LOVE THAT! I can assure you I will now have a use for these small fabric pieces!

If you run into any questions making these, just email me, I'm happy to help. 

Update with photo of one of the pads in use.

You can learn more about what a g-tube (Gatrostomy Tube) is here.

Sewing Miles of Smiles - Our West Coast Connection to Children's Hospital!

For those of you who aren't already familiar with Dona from the blog Sewing Miles of Smiles, I've asked her to share a little with us about her on-going sewing efforts to encourage the young patients of the Children's Hospital in her community. You have the opportunity to support her sewing year round if this is a project that touches your heart. Take it away Dona! :)

Hello Everyone - I'm Dona from the Sewing Miles of Smiles blog.  I am so excited that Kristy invited me to be a part of this month's project.  Sewing Miles of Smiles will be one year old in February.  It began with a meeting with Nettie, one of the Child Life Specialists at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital PICU here in Spokane WA.  She wanted some pillows for the kids to hug when they didn't feel well or were scared.  "Pillows?", I said, "I can make pillows."  And so began my passion for the children having something special while in the hospital.

I perfected the size of the pillows over time - 10" for the child's pillow and a 6" pillow for the nurses to use to prop little arms.  But then one day Nettie said, "I'll take anything you make."  Now I deliver dolls, pillows, crayon holders, finger puppets and more every 2 weeks.  Fleece and felt are my main fabrics because they are soft and washable and I'm always on the hunt for new ideas and patterns.

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful the feeling is knowing you have helped an ill child. I've had so many people email and tell me about their child's experience in the hospital and how much a special gift meant to them.  Come join us on this venture.  You will know you have brought smiles to so many little faces.

Dona - sewingmilesofsmiles.blogspot.com

Remember, Dona will be glad to accept any of your donations to take along with her to her Children's Hospital, and as I explained yesterday, with her being on the West side of the US, if you are on that side of the country, please just email when you have your items ready to send her way!